Morning journal and courier., 1887-03-05
THE QUESTION OF PROBATION.

THE QUESTION OF PROBATION. An open Letter From Professor Ladd Co President Chapfn of Belo1t COl- 1ege.
 The following letter has been written by
 Professor Ladd of Yale university to Presi-
 dent Chapin of Beloit college, Wisconsin: NEW HAVEN, March 1. President A. L. Chapin, D. D.: HonoIed and dear sir-At the meeting of the Ameri- can board at Des Moines last fall, on your | motion, the following resolution was passed; The board is constrained to look with grave ap-
 prehension certain tendencies of the doctrine
 visive and perversve and dangerous to the church
 eies they no heartily approve of the action of the | prudential committee in carefully guarding the board from any committal to the approval of that
 doctrine and advise continuance of the caution in time to come.
 l This resolution has been and still is inter- preted by the prudential committee as con- l taining Instructions" which forbid them to send out to their missions any candidates 1 who cannot accept the theological tenet that 1 the fate of the entire heathen world is ire | vocably fixed at death. In view of these instructions" they have recently declined to l appoint several young men. One of these young men is acknowledged by the spokes- man of the prudential committee to be oth- erwise exceptionally we'll fitted for the for | eign work; and the sole objection to him is | that he regards the hypothesis of the offer of | salvation after death to those heather | who die without having had it as "a permissible hope" Another of them has been especially prominent in the seminary, | in the interest of foreign missions, is admlr- ably fitted for appointment and fails to con- l ply with the acquisitions of the committee only because, with reference to "the hypo- l thesis of second probation" he says, q do not know"
 Moreover, Secretary Judson Smith has ex- pressly informed the students of Yale Theo- l logical seminary that persons who have any doubt as to whether the fate of all the heath en is irrevocably fixed at death should not apply for appointment by the American board. And Secretary Alden has, in private conversation, outlined the policy of the 1 board somewhat as follows: The places of the rejected candidates from our Congrega- tional churches are to be filled by the appointment of candidates from the Presbyterian church on the ground that the latter has an abundance of young men without scruples on this theological tenet, but has not an abundance of money; whereas the American board wants the men and has the money TOf course the money here referred to must be that which remains from the two large lega- cies received by the board in recent years; for there is no doubt of the truth of the report that the gifts of the churches are falling of rapidly and largely.
 These facts I rehearse to show to what lengths the prudential committee feel them selves called upon to go by the ''instruc- tions' which they understand that they re- ceived by the passage of your resolution It ought also to be said that while one party in the management of the board seems we'll pleased to have received these so-called Gin structions" another party expresses itself as "embarrassed" by them.
 On the other hand, 8 careful study of the record of the meeting at Des Moines throws some doubt over that interpretation of your resolution which regards it as containin any definite ''instructions' to the committee. I find that the resolution was proposed by you as an amendment to one which was intended to contain definite approval of the course of the committee in suspending judgment on the case of these and other now rejected candidates, as well as express 'instructions'' to continue to refuse those who cannot ac- cept the dogma that, in all cases death neces- sarily excludes all hope. In your own lan- guage, your resolution was designed "to soften whatever decision we have come to and help clear up the matter" You say further that all it requires is "caution on the part of the prudential committee"
 I find also that one member of the board, speaking immediately after the proposal of the resolution, said: 'I heartily concur with President Chspin in this resolution" and then immediately added: '1 think that our good secretaries have been little too parti- cular." Indeed this same speaker went on to advocate sending out "consecrated men and women" who hold to the 'tnew depart ture," and plainly affirm that they should not be g, questioned question: non on ron. minor na statement that, at that time, you did not understand that the action of the prudential committee had been in any sense 8 decision saying to any one of these breth- ren (that is, the now rejected canaidates): "You cannot go." Moreover, tine foreign secretary of the board himself declared upon it's platform: sI have no objection to these resolutions being passed here. unless they mean to commit us to the exclusion of young men such as we have had coming before us. :" And the president of the board stated that so far as the resolution was a theological one, he should object to it. But he adds, ''As un- derstand, it is not that exactly and therefore I should not object"
 Yet further it is more than likely that some who voted for your resolution regarded it as kind of placebo, or harmless and soothing expression of good will toward the prudential committee; and even then voted for it with reluctance, because they could not avoid the suspicion that certain sweet toleration and bread wisdom and calm ab- stinence from partisan measures should char acterize the management of great Christian institution. It is perfectly certain that many voted for it who did not regard 1t as in any sense containing the instructions" which the prudential committee now find in it.
 You will see, therefore, honored and dear sir, that the means which you proposed to help soften and clear up the matter is itself being made the occasion for yet harder draw ing of party lines and for yet increasing con- fusion. In view of the alarming fact that the board is rapidly losing a very valuable part of its constituency and that large num- Der of trained and pious young men in Con- g1egational seminaries are known to be turn ed back by the committee or restrained from applying for appointment, will you not do our churches great favor by explaining pre- cisely what was intended by your resolution? Did you or did you not intend to have the prudential committee instructed not to send out candidates who cannot subscribe to the tenet that the fate of all the heather is ire vocably fixed at death?
 Yours respectfully,
 GEORGE T. LADD.